


i can walk on water (i can fly)

by HopeStoryteller



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Bloodbending (Avatar), F/F, F/M, Gay, M/M, Multi, you'll never guess who the avatar is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:08:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26445385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeStoryteller/pseuds/HopeStoryteller
Summary: Legends. Stories scattered through time. Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, byproducts, of a forgotten past.This world is not that one.Notquite.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi, Raven Branwen/Summer Rose/Taiyang Xiao Long
Comments: 11
Kudos: 23





	i can walk on water (i can fly)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [idiotwithacatpen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/idiotwithacatpen/gifts).



Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived in harmony. Today, they still do, but only on the edge of a knife. An outside enemy wants them all destroyed, and should one falter, the rest will as well.

Someone new to this mess might think, in a world where many people can bend the very elements of nature itself, life would be a bit easier. That someone would also very, _very_ quickly realize just how wrong they were. Greater power on one side, after all, only comes with greater power on the other.

Roughly equal amounts of power are never perfectly equalized. Someone might get lucky, or unlucky. An airbender and an earthbender might have roughly the same amount of skill, but all it takes is one good hit from the earthbender (or a particularly powerful Grimm) to knock the airbender out cold.

Or at least, it does for most airbenders. Qrow would like to think his niece could take at least a couple more hits than that by now, but she still fights by moving and dodging. Just like she’s doing now.

“Not too much longer,” Ruby pipes up as she zooms past him on a ball of air. 

Qrow spares a glance to watch her twist into her semblance, melding with the air to trail ethereal rose petals. She consolidates back into herself just in time to whack one lancer over the head with her scythe-staff, then jabs at the second and bats the third at Qrow.

He doesn’t even bother using _his_ scythe. Instead, he raises one hand. Water surges upward, and a clenched fist freezes the last lancer solid. The newly formed lancersicle falls cleanly into Ruby’s blade. She splits it in two.

Yeah, she’s doing alright.

“Think the others will be here before we get another group?” Ruby asks. 

She takes a seat on the dock beside him, swinging her legs and to all appearances, just a regular kid. Not a battle-hardened bender, not someone who’s survived things that would have killed most regular kids.

Raven had looked like that too, once. But she’d hidden her bending even better than Ruby had.

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Qrow says, half to distract himself and half to keep up the vague appearance of a responsible adult. “With my luck…”

“You know what Clover’s told me? That neither his semblance or your semblance is really ‘good’ luck or ‘bad’ luck. It’s relative. Depends on what you see it as.”

Qrow groans. “Has he told _everyone_ that?”

“Maybe he thinks it’ll actually get through to you that way!”

Qrow groans louder. Reluctant as he is to admit it, Clover _does_ have a point. A small one. And unfortunately, he _more_ than fits the earthbender stereotype of overwhelming stubbornness, so he’s unlikely to give up anytime soon. Or ever.

He should be more bothered by that than he is.

“Soooo,” Ruby elbows him. “You and Clover, huh?”

“No.”

“You _sure?”_

“No—I mean yes! _Yes_ I’m sure!”

“Right, of course you don’t have the date he and the rest of the ops get back from their mission marked on your calendar. And circled several times. With hearts written on nearly every spare bit of space on the date.”

Qrow opens his mouth. Then shuts it. Then glares at her. “Why are you going through my stuff?”

Note to self: hide his stuff better.

“I got bored,” Ruby says like it’s only natural.

Note to self: hide his stuff better, and keep Ruby from getting bored. Sometimes she’s so much like Summer it’s painful.

“Hey!” Comes a yell from behind them. 

Both benders turn to see… Harriet! Zooming up behind them, sliding to a stop with the electric crackle of her semblance. Let it not be said Qrow particularly _likes_ Harriet, but if she’s back, then… Clover?

“Hare!” Ruby exclaims.

“No time for chitchat, not now, not when—how do I say this quickly?” Harriet sighs, and looks pointedly at Qrow. “Clover’s in trouble, he’s been kidnapped by a bloodbender. I can tell you _where_ he is but we need a powerful waterbender, someone who can counter that, to—”

“It’s Tyrian, isn’t it,” Qrow mutters, and gets a nod. Of _course_ it would be Tyrian. “Where is he?”

“Old ship off the coast a few miles out, north of here. Completely metal. Don’t think it would help if it wasn’t. If he wasn’t a fucking _bloodbender—”_

“But he is. Ruby?”

“I’ll stay with Hare,” Ruby confirms. “I can’t _wait_ to try out some of the new team attacks I’ve been working on with Yang!”

The firebender looks distinctly uneasy at that, but nods. “Yeah. Sure, kid. Qrow?”

“I’m on it.”

Qrow takes a deep breath, and leaps off the pier. He _could_ swim that far, if he needed to. But then he’d be out of energy to take on Tyrian, and he _needs_ to be at his best for this. So he dives into the water, holding his breath, and _reaches._ The water molds into the shape he needs, held fast yet flexible.

With one powerful wingbeat, he _soars._

“Holy shit,” he hears Harriet tell Ruby. “Your uncle can do _that?”_

“He doesn’t like showing off,” is Ruby’s answer, and then he’s flown out of earshot.

 _For a waterbender,_ Summer had always said, _you fly like an airbender._

It had taken Qrow far longer than it should have to realize that was a compliment. If only he’d realized while she was still here. But he can’t think about where he’s failed now.

Not now, where he _has to succeed._

Swimming would have taken too long. Flying means he spots the ship within minutes. The top deck is clear except for someone kneeling in the center, hands tied behind his back, head bowed. Clover.

Tyrian’s nowhere to be seen. Obviously, he’s _somewhere_ nearby, but he’s not on the main deck. That gives Qrow some time. If he’s fast, he can grab Clover and run. Or, well, fly.

But that would be leaving Tyrian here, on a metal hunk of a ship three miles off the coast from the one place in the world still committed to fighting the forces of evil. Three miles off the coast from his nieces, his _family._ The only family he has left in this fucked up world.

Three miles isn’t far at all for a waterbender. Qrow would know.

He drops onto the deck with a heavy _thud._ Clover’s head snaps up. Relief fills his eyes, those brilliant teal eyes that Qrow hasn’t been daydreaming about at all, no sir he would absolutely not ever.

“Qrow!” Clover grimaces. “You can’t—you shouldn’t be here.”

“I know it’s a trap,” Qrow says.

Clover looks at him for a long moment. “Oh. Well, that’s... good, that you know already. Not good that you’re here. It’s—”

“Tyrian. I know.”

“Well, well, _well._ Looks like the surprise isn’t such a surprise as all. How disappointing.” Qrow whirls around, his scythe in his hand before he even sees Tyrian. “And yet the lonely little bird came anyway. I wonder why?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Qrow says.

“I mean, I’m kind of curious too,” Clover trails off when Qrow glares back at him. “And I’ll shut up now, got it.”

“Later, Cloves. Now is _so_ not the time.”

“You got it. Hey, you know what’s good about being tied up?”

“I really don’t need to hear about your kinks right now.”

“Not what I meant, but sure.” Clover laughs and doesn’t actually deny it. “What I meant is, Tyrian can’t use me against you. Bit hard to bloodbend someone out of this.”

Tyrian _laughs._ Never a good sign. “Wouldn’t you know it, I almost feel _bad_ for you. You poor, poor misguided souls…”

“What are you planning?” Qrow asks tersely.

“Planning? _Me?_ I’m afraid you simply have the wrong man for that. I merely thought you wouldn’t be so foolish as to assume I had come _alone.”_

Tyrian snaps his fingers. There are two trapdoors to the left and right of Qrow, leading down to the rest of the ship, and they both slam open. People start to crawl out. Just… regular, ordinary people, who Tyrian is controlling.

Qrow charges for Tyrian with a yell. The faunus laughs and blocks with his (now metal) tail, but he drops his people. Quite literally, as it turns out. They’re… dead already?

That horrifying realization is all Qrow needs to strike even harder and faster. They trade strike after strike, blow after blow, until in an _extraordinarily_ lucky hit on Qrow’s part, he swings and the bloodbender’s head goes flying off into the water.

It’s… done. And Qrow is tired, but that’s no surprise, it wasn’t exactly a _short_ fight. He runs to Clover, undoing his bonds and pulling him to his feet.

“Come on,” he says, offering a wry grin. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Gladly,” Clover agrees. “You’re not hurt?”

“No,” Qrow says, right before he collapses.

* * *

“...Qrow? _Qrow..._ ”

“......you’re an idiot, little brother, you know that…...”

“.........you can’t die _now._ Not after everything we’ve done…......”

“............fly like an airbender…………”

* * *

When Qrow blinks back into awareness, he’s still on the ship, but he’s not on the top deck anymore. Lying down in a bunk or something. Someone’s bandaged the wound he didn’t realize he had until it was too late.

Someone’s holding his hand.

“Cloves?” Qrow asks weakly.

“How did you—”

Qrow turns to look at him and smiles, slightly. “Call it a lucky guess?”

For a long moment, Clover stares at him, before bursting out laughing. “Never knew you had it in you!”

“You pick up a few things when you deal with any member of the Xiao Long family for long enough. Yang inherited her dad’s puns and then some.”

Inexplicably, Clover sobers up at that. “Right. There’s… something you need to know. After you passed out, I sent out a distress signal with the ship’s comms. The Avatar answered it.”

“The _Avatar?”_ Qrow pushes himself up into a sitting position with that, pretends it doesn’t hurt as much as it does to do. “Isn’t she dead?”

The last Avatar had been a waterbender around his age. Heavy emphasis on _had been,_ because she’d been very publicly killed by a firebender working for Salem. It hasn’t even been a year since then, the next Avatar (an earthbender) should be a baby right now.

“Not quite. And she’s not the only one. It’s…” Clover sighs. “It’s complicated. She’ll probably be able to explain it better than I can. You think you can stand, or should I go get her?”

“I’d _better_ be able to stand,” Qrow mutters. And, as it turns out, he can. Even if he’s leaning a bit too much on Clover for his liking.

Even if they’re both completely avoiding the metaphorical lionturtle in the room. As it turns out, there’s an even bigger one once they’re out of the room. Namely, the woman with dark hair all too similar to Yang’s, conversing quietly with a couple of others.

 _“Raven,”_ Qrow spits. His sister turns. “What are _you_ doing here?”

“Saving your life, because _apparently_ none of my former teammates have _any sense of self-preservation.”_

The white-cloaked woman next to her laughs nervously. “Rae, come on—”

“Don’t you _Rae_ me, you know _damn well_ what would have happened if I hadn’t gotten there when I did.”

The third woman there, sporting violet eyes, blonde hair, and a suspicious curl to her lip, doesn’t look particularly familiar. Not to Qrow, anyway. But the white-cloaked woman… no, it can’t be.

“Right,” Qrow decides, “so I’m dead, and we’re all dead. Got it.”

Summer laughs. “I mean, I can see how you got to that conclusion? But nope! Very much alive. I’ve been helping out Rae. Tai’s around here somewhere too, you know _he_ isn’t dead, right?”

“You’re telling me _you’re_ not dead, and I’m the last to know?”

“Pretty much,” Raven says.

“And that doesn’t excuse you _leaving us._ What could _possibly_ have been _so important_ that you’d leave your family behind? And I _know_ Tai wouldn’t forgive you easily.”

“No, he didn’t.” 

She doesn’t answer Qrow’s actual question. Not at first, anyway, and not verbally. Instead, she raises a hand to her lips, and _blows._ Inexplicably, something flickers to life. An ember, then a flame merrily dancing away.

Raven is… a firebender? But she’s a waterbender, unless—

“Just because I understand _why_ you left,” Qrow mutters, “doesn’t mean I agree with it.”

And yet, despite himself, despite everything… he’s relieved. The Avatar not being dead or a baby means that there’s still hope. Even if it’s, somehow, inexplicably, _Raven._ She’d… hidden more than even he realized.

No wonder she left. He can’t quite forgive her for it, but… _no wonder she left._

“Of course not. Never mind that my semblance is still _very_ much active, and I’ve been using it a lot lately. Never mind that _you_ would be dead if it wasn’t for me.”

“You _left.”_

“I left a note,” Raven says defensively. “It’s not my fault if you all thought I was just running away for the sake of running away, and not for a good reason.”

Clover clears his throat awkwardly. “Hey, uh, Robyn. You want to go see how close we are?”

“Absolutely,” says the violet-eyed woman who must be Robyn. “Hey, five o’clock shadow, do _try_ to cut your sister some slack. She made the best of a bad situation.”

Before anyone can get another word in edgewise, she’s out the door, and so is Clover. Traitor.

“The Avatar you thought you knew,” Raven says softly, “was named Vernal. She knew it was me. She agreed to pretend, in case Salem came for us. And when she did…”

“Rae and I are the only ones left from the original group,” Summer finishes solemnly. “We picked up the Happy Huntresses not too long after that, long story involving about three separate jailbreaks and a small fire—”

“A _small_ fire? They nearly burned down Ba Sing Se.”

“Fine, a big fire. We heard about your group but Rae figured just portaling in to you or Yang wouldn’t go too well, so we took the long way, swung by Tai’s place to pick him up and fill him in. Zwei’s our new mascot.”

“I could have lived without the dog,” Raven mutters, but she’s smiling.

“And then Rae jumped through a portal, brought you both back, and here we are. Any questions?”

Qrow opens his mouth and shuts it again. “I—okay. So _you’re_ the Avatar, and _you’re_ alive?”

“I’m the Avatar, yeah,” Raven confirms. She sighs. “And I’ve had to deal with it.”

* * *

There are more than a few heartfelt reunions once Team Avatar gets back to the last real stronghold against the forces of evil. There are also more than a few reunions that would better be described as ‘Raven gets punched in the face.’

But in the end, they’re stronger for it. The Avatar is still alive. There is still hope. Perhaps there will never be a victory in strength… but perhaps there will be something else instead. Something better.

Qrow, of course, isn’t thinking of any of this at the moment. He’s a bit more concerned with making out with a particular lucky earthbender in a closet, ideally without anyone walking in on them. (But if they do, that’s their problem. Not Qrow’s, and certainly not Clover’s.)

The world isn’t dead yet. And as long as it keeps on turning, as long as love is alive, there will _always_ be hope in the darkness.

**Author's Note:**

> Pens you had no idea this was an ATLA AU did you >:D


End file.
